Seven Kingdoms Interview
Sara Letourneau chats with lead guitarist Camden Cruz and singer Sabrina Valentine

Sometimes it’s beneficial to put a new twist on a popular style of music. In Seven Kingdoms’ case, that twist is creating a ripple effect through the metal world. Critics have raved about the Florida quintet’s 2010 self-titled second album (read our review here), which shows off Seven Kingdoms’ explosive brand of power metal with strokes of death, thrash, and progressive metal instead of the usual symphonic trends. Other people dig it, too – and not just the fans. Just two months after releasing Seven Kingdoms, the band was invited to kick off ProgPower USA’s Midweek Mayhem festivities. Then in November and December came the true highlight: An opening slot for the North American tour of Blind Guardian, one of Seven Kingdoms’ biggest influences. You know an up-and-coming band is on to something good when big-name bands and metal moguls pay this kind of attention to them.

Seven Kingdoms is now back in Florida, and they’re hard at work on songwriting for their third album. Not too busy, however, to talk to Sonic Cathedral staff writer Sara Letourneau. In February, she chatted with founder / lead guitarist Camden Cruz and singer Sabrina Valentine about all things pertaining to Seven Kingdoms: the self-titled album, the Blind Guardian tour, future plans, and much more. Read on to learn about one of North America’s most ambitious young bands.

Sara:  First of all, congratulations on the Seven Kingdoms album being released last year and all the great things that happened to you guys last year.

Camden & Sabrina:  Thank you!

Sara:  The first thing I’d like to talk to you about is probably the most exciting thing that happened to you last year. That was opening up for the Blind Guardian tour. So how was it?

Camden:  Awesome! (laughs)

Sabrina:  It was great.

Camden:  It felt good. Fantastic. Even now, there’s no one word to describe it.

Sara:  How did you get the chance to be on that bill? Was the opening slot offered to you by Blind Guardian themselves? Or did you and [your management team] Intromental get in touch with Blind Guardian’s team to make it happen?

Camden:  Well, I think at first Claus [Jensen at Intromental] got in touch with them about the US tour. No, actually, Claus was originally hitting Blind Guardian up for getting us onto their European tour, but it was just too expensive. So we told them, “Well, obviously you guys are coming to America. Why not bring us out on the road with you over here?”

Sara:  So it was just a matter of things working out better for one tour than for the other tour?

Camden:  Yeah, pretty much. We couldn’t do Europe, so we got the USA. (laughs)

Sara:  And this was obviously the first time that a lot of the people who were seeing Blind Guardian were listening to Seven Kingdoms. So how did people react to your shows? What did they say to you after your set?

Camden:  There were a lot of people who were surprised. They were like, “Man, there’s a band that plays power metal and they’re from the United States? WHAT?!” (laughs) They kind of couldn’t believe it. Overall, the crowd was fantastic. I think they were split into fifths. For us, maybe three-fifths of the crowd really liked our stuff a lot. Another fifth was all the crazy Holy Grail fans. They were all thrash revival, covered in denim, and they went there to see Holy Grail. And then you’ve got the Blind Guardian elitists that, no matter who you are, they want you to get off the stage so they can see their band. They’re like, “OK, hurry up.” (laughs) But overall, it was fantastic. We made a lot of new fans, and we’d like to go out [on the road] again.

Sara:  On this tour, you played with your new bassist Aaron Sluss. How is that working out? What has he brought to the table, so to speak, for the band?

Sabrina:  Aaron is everything we wanted and more. He’s very, very, very dedicated. We asked him if he wanted to be the bassist and if he wanted to go on tour with us, and he literally packed all of his equipment right away. He’s a very hard worker. We’d rather take someone who’s excited and a hard worker and have them work up to our level.

Camden:  You just can’t be in a band these days, trying to make it to the next level with people who are like, “Oh, yeah, I guess that’s a good idea.” You have to want it, really want it. That’s Aaron. He was actually in another band where he was the bass player. We became close, and then it just kind of worked out. We got him right after we played at ProgPower.

Sara:  Seven Kingdoms plays what I think is a very unique style of power metal, especially compared to other female-fronted power metal bands like Nightwish and Edenbridge. Most of them have the symphonics and the operatic female vocalist. You can’t really compare those bands to yours because you’re so different. Have people commented on that to you at all? Have they said, “Wow, you guys are so much different from other bands out there”?

Sabrina:  We’ve had it both ways. We’ve had people prefer it that way because it shows originality. And we’ve had other people prefer it the other way and wonder why I don’t sing that way. I actually have a totally different music background, and that’s why I’m not an operatic singer. I was originally a bluegrass country singer, and I sang at church. That’s very different compared to how [operatic vocalists] sing. Most of them have an opera background. So our audience is glad that we’re not going in that direction. Of course, there are people who prefer it the other way. They ask me why I don’t do that, and I say that it’s because someone’s already done it. I can bring something else to the table. That’s what a lot of people are looking for. Something new, exciting, and different. And that’s what we’re trying to do.

Camden:  I think a lot of people can’t put their finger on it. I enjoy death metal. That’s what our first album was, just us going crazy with riffs pretty much. (laughs) Because we weren’t as serious musicians as we are now. I think you’ll see on the next record. We’re actually in the middle of writing it now.

Sara:  Yeah, I’ve seen that on Facebook. You guys are working on the next album.

Camden:  Yeah. We may have some opportunities that come up before the record. But at the earliest, we’ll go into the studio at the end of the year. At the latest, it’ll be sometime next year because of things that may happen by the end of this year. (laughs)

Sara:  That sounds very interesting.

Camden:  Yeah. You’ll see, I hope. I’m crossing my fingers. (laughs)

Sara:  Ahhh, OK.

Camden:  Seven Kingdoms fans, cross your fingers!

Sara:  (laughs) Now, most reviews for the Seven Kingdoms album have likened your band to Blind Guardian, Iced Earth, Iron Maiden, HammerFall – male-fronted bands that are some of your influences. How much of a compliment is that for you?

Camden:  Well, I’m just glad to see that people see that the bands we kind of resemble can have a female frontwoman. It’s not like, “Oh, this band sounds just like Nightwish or Lacuna Coil or Evanescence.” I’m glad that people are actually hearing guitar riffs behind female vocals.

Sabrina:  That’s the way we see it, too. A lot of people have told me that even with me singing, we sound just like Iced Earth. And for me, it’s awesome that we’re not in the same category as all the other female-fronted bands and kind of cool to be compared to the big boys. (laughs)

Camden:  I was doing some research, just beating around and looking at stuff online. There are a couple gnarly female-fronted power metal bands with singers that have got some real beef. One of them’s got a sister in the band. Well, it’s not really her sister, but it sounds like it. (laughs) I’ve never heard a female vocal like that. It’s guttural and all, “AAAAAHHHH!” (imitates a growl vocal)

Sara:  (laughs)

Camden:  It sounds pretty sweet. But, I mean, we’re a power metal band with a chick singer. That’s what I tell people. Not the operatic, gothic thing, wearing corsets and all that. (laughs)

Sara:  Right. There are a lot of good bands like that out there. But at the same time, it’s really, really good to hear something different, and that was the point I made in my review of your album. I was like, “This is awesome!”

Camden:  Yeah!

Sara:  Let’s talk about Seven Kingdoms the album a little bit. I’ve read that the songwriting process for that album was a collaborative effort. Did you write all the songs together, or did certain members take charge on some songs?

Camden:  Usually, what happens with us is that Kevin [Byrd, rhythm guitarist] and I will start. For the majority of the music, me and Kevin do the physical music and the vocal parts. We arrange riffs with one another, and obviously everyone else is listening to it in the process. We usually have a drum idea, how we think it should sound, and then Keith [Byrd] kind of changes it from that. He kind of glues things together. And then we work on the bass, and then me, Kevin, and Sabrina work on the vocals and the melodies. We always try to help her make them as catchy as possible. Or as memorable as possible, I should say. For the new album, we’ve already started writing. So far, we’ve got four or five songs already started. Kevin’s probably done a little more with those than I have. I’ve finally put my recording stuff together so I can start. But yeah, it usually starts with me and him bouncing off riffs with a drum machine. Then we give the MP3 to Keith, and then he puts his twist on it. Of course, the last step is when we go to Morrisound [Studios] and have Jim [Morris, Seven Kingdoms’ producer] work on it. He’s awesome. He notices the little things, like, “Oh, well, you should do this. It’ll sound better.” And we’re like, “Yeah, logically that’s the right thing to do.” It’s just ridiculous, everything he does.

Sara:  Are you planning to work with Jim again on the next album?

Sabrina:  Yes.

Camden:  Oh, yeah.

Sabrina:  I really like working with Jim. He makes the recording experience fun, and he’s also very thorough.

Camden:  Yeah, Jim’s the … I don’t know. I couldn’t ever do a record and feel right about it without his approval.

Sabrina:  He always finds that one thing to make it better. I’m sure somebody else could do that for us, but personally it works out well with Jim.

Camden:  The recording process for this record is going to be a lot different since we’re going to be on a tight budget. But we’ll get it finished and done there for the most part. It’ll have a different spin on it sound-wise. I think it’ll come out better-sounding than the last one. We’re a little smarter in the things we do now and a little more experienced.

Sara:  The lyrics for your music are inspired by fantasy and mythology. I know for the first album, Brothers of the Night, the songs were based on the first book of the “Song of Fire and Ice” series by George R.R. Martin. For the Seven Kingdoms album, were there any particular stories or myths you based your songs on? Or, were they stories or ideas you had of your own?

Camden:  “Vengeance by the Son of a King” comes from Scandinavian history. It was just a cool story. It’s actually pretty crazy. (laughs) A big war happened, and this guy, he’s 7 feet tall, and he can’t walk because he has this disease that all the tall people get where they can’t walk. A bunch of people carry him around on this gigantic shield. (laughs)

Sabrina:  One of the things I like about our songs is that they can be uplifting. “Somewhere Far Away,” for me personally, is like one of our happy songs. “Wolf in Sheep’s Clothes” is about that one person in your life who’s always there, trying to pull out the rug from underneath you.

Camden:  That one person who always knows the right button to push. (laughs)

Sabrina:  And “Seven Kingdoms” and “The Ones Who Breathe the Flame,” Camden actually made those up. He made a story up that linked the two songs together.

Camden:  Yeah. “Seven Kingdoms” and “The Ones Who Breathe the Flame” is a story that I put names to places and people and set it back in time in a mythical land. But the message would still work now. One person changes things for the better. I believe firmly that you can do what you want if you put your mind to it. But this is set way back in time with dragons and stuff. (laughs)

Sabrina:  And “A Murder Never Dead” is about Cayley Anthony, a girl who was missing and then found murdered. I remember hearing about how they had found the little girl’s body, and it kind of inspired me. (laughs) In a weird way.

Sara:  So there’s an eerie story behind that song.

Sabrina:  Yeah. (laughs) It’s sad but true, and it moved me enough to write a song about it.

Sara:  I want to go back now to the title track of the album because that’s just an awesome song. It’s my favorite one on there. I find that I keep listening to it over and over again. There aren’t many 9-minute songs that I listen to over and over again.

Camden:  Unless you’re Dream Theater.

(mutual laughter)

Sara:  So how did that song come together?

Camden:  I actually did a lot of that song. I did most of the writing there.

Sabrina:  And the lyrics.

Camden:  Yeah, lyrically and musically. That song originally started as a joke I was doing, with metalcore riffs in it just ‘cause… I don’t know why. I was in a hardcore band back in the day. That kind of playing keeps your hand good. It’s just so fast and crazy. So I had done this song as a warm-up, and I just liked parts of it. So I was like, “Oh, well, I can change things here and there and put it in an actual key and make a song out of it.” And that was a process of probably a full year, just off and on working on it while working on the other ones.

Sara:  Wow.

Camden:  And it just fell into place. I’ve got one song on the next [album] that I’m planning and it’s just like this one. It has a lot of stuff to it. It’ll be kind of tricky to pull off, but it should be good.

Sara:  And what did the rest of the band think of [“Seven Kingdoms” the song] when they first heard it?

Sabrina:  It was awesome! (laughs)

Camden:  When I first show [a song] to Kevin, it doesn’t have any vocals or any leads on it. It’s just the rhythm. I’m like, “I just want people to like it. Please listen to it ‘til the end.” There’s one part in “Seven Kingdoms,” the more epic part in the middle, that riff and the rhythm of it is the same thing for 45 seconds to a minute. The rhythm side is kind of boring, but it’s one of those songs that you just play. (laughs) It’s good. It’s all just based on the vocals for that part.

Sabrina:  And what I really like the most about that song now is if you take all the parts of our style and mush them all into one song, [“Seven Kingdoms”] would be it.

Camden:  Yeah. You’re going to get a lot of stuff like that on the next album. Not necessarily the namesake stuff, if you’ll call it that. But it’ll be a lot more focused on the Seven Kingdoms sound. Everything we’ve got so far is starting to turn my ear a little bit. It’s kind of hard to explain that stuff. (laughs)

Sara:  On the song “Seven Kingdoms,” you had a guest singer: Wade Black, formerly of Crimson Glory. How did that happen? How did you get him to sing on that song?

Camden:  We did a show with his side project band called Disasterpiece. Pete Blakk from King Diamond is the lead guitar player in it. We played a show with them, and there was NOBODY there. (laughs) But he still brought down the house. I had no clue. I mean, I knew it was Wade, but I didn’t know he was that good live. He was just friggin’ awesome live. So I thought, “Hey, I gotta write a part just to put him in it, just because.” So I called him up, and he said, “Oh yeah, sure, man.” He’s with Crimson Glory, and why not? He lives in Tampa. I think he drove over on his lunch break and nailed that track pretty quick and then drove back. (laughs) I think we’ll have a couple of guests on the next record, so it’ll be awesome.

Sara:  All this talk about the new album, I already can’t wait to listen to it. Even though it’s going to be months away. (laughs)

Camden:  (laughs) We hope it comes out the way we want it to be.

Sara:  I know this next question is sometimes very tough for musicians to answer because they don’t like to pick favorite songs because they sometimes consider them their babies. But I have to ask, what songs would you consider to be your favorites on the Seven Kingdoms album?

Camden:  Personally, as far as playing, the funnest ones to play are “Seven Kingdoms,” obviously, and I really enjoy playing Kevin’s songs, “Into the Darkness” and “Vengeance.” Both of those are really fun to play. I like a lot of the faster stuff ‘cause it’s a little more challenging. But some of the other songs, like “Somewhere Far Away” and “Wolf in Sheep’s Clothes,” I wrote those to be good songs. They’re not necessarily technically challenging at all, but they’re good, solid songs. But on the next record, you’ll start to see those songs become a little more technical but still retaining that overall good appeal. I hope to play a lot more challenging stuff just because it’s fun. (laughs)

Sabrina:  For me, vocally I’d say the funnest one is “Wolf in Sheep’s Clothes.” I do a lot of vocalizing for the entire chorus. But as far as favorites go, I would say “Seven Kingdoms” is number one always, then “Wolf in Sheep’s Clothes,” then “Into the Darkness.” And “Vengeance” is my absolute favorite one live. I don’t know, there’s something about it that grabs the audience, and from that song on everyone’s into it.

Sara:  As you’ve mentioned and as I’ve mentioned, your first album was much different from your second album. Your first album was male-fronted death metal. And on the Seven Kingdoms album, it’s female-fronted power metal. What was the reason for this change in style?

Camden:  Well, when we were writing [Brothers of the Night], I was coming out of my heavier days, I should say. I was way into more of the death metal aspect of the genre scale. More so than I am now. I enjoyed playing it. It was so technical. And Bryan [Edwards, Seven Kingdoms’ former singer], my buddy, he was a good screamer. He’s a good death metal screamer. You just hand him the lyrics, and he’s like RRRRRRRR! (pretends to growl) And he tried his hand at singing, and he got some good things there done. It was like a death metal record with a lot of power metal influence sprinkled with harsh vocals pretty much. Melodic death meets power metal, I guess. And then after he left, I just didn’t want to do as much death metal. ‘Cause at the time, we had already gone through a cycle of a year-and-a-half since the first album, and I had started listening to a lot more power metal stuff, where there was more singing in it. You can add an extra element to the music by using actual melody and the vocal line. It just intrigued me much more. So I started writing songs around vocals, which is kind of like what “Wolf in Sheep’s Clothes” and “Somewhere Far Away” is. Then later, we started doing songs like “Seven Kingdoms” and “Into the Darkness.”

Sara:  And did you and Sabrina know each other when you were originally in the band, Camden?

Camden:  Yes.

Sara:  How did she become the new singer of the band?

Camden:  Well, to make a long story short, we started dating a long time, maybe about six months before Bryan left. We were just seeing each other, and she was like, “Oh my God, you’re in a band! That’s so cool! I can sing!” I didn’t know. I thought she meant, “Wa wa wa, I can sing,” nothing big. Finally, I think three months into our courtship, I went to a karaoke bar with her, and she started singing. I was like, “Oh my God, she CAN sing! Like, literally she can sing!” She was like some crazy operatic chick. And I was sitting there with Kevin and Keith, and I was like, “Yeah, let’s give her a try.” And it’s worked out ever since. That was in 2008. Around Christmas of 2008.

Sabrina:  Yeah.

Camden:  Something like that.

Sara:  Sabrina, I think you have an awesome voice. I think I went on for an entire paragraph about it in the review.

Sabrina:  (laughs)

Sara:  You had started talking about your singing background earlier. You started off as a country and bluegrass singer?

Sabrina:  Yes, I did!

Sara:  Did you have any training? Did you sing in any other?

Sabrina:  My mom actually taught me to sing when I was 3 years old. The first song I learned to sing was “Amazing Grace.” The next one was “You Are My Sunshine.” And from then on, I just pretty much sang. My mom would have me sing in church on Sundays. As I got older, my mom bought me a karaoke machine, and I would just sing along. She was into country and stuff like that, so she would get me all those CDs and stuff. And of course, my dad is the rocker. He’s always been into AC/DC and Aerosmith and anything like that. So I had both sides of it. I got into choir when I was in school. And I have always been trying to sing [in public], but it just seemed like nothing ever worked out. I always tried to get that lead part in a play, and it was always the same three people trying out. There was actually a point when I quit singing for two years because I got so mad. When I was in choir, we did a fundraiser one night to get money for the choir. So we had all made baked goods and we’d sell them, and people would buy a ticket to the show and buy baked goods, and then they’d get to watch the chorus talent show. I sang Sarah McLachlan’s “Angel.” And after I got offstage, my choir teacher came up to me and said, “Oh my God, you can sing!” And it pissed me off ‘cause I was like, “You interviewed me and you tried me out!!” (laughs) So I was so mad, and I was like, “You know, no one notices me. No one cares. It doesn’t matter.”

Sara:  Awwwww! (laughs)

Sabrina:  (laughs) So then Camden and I met at Tom’s Pizza because that’s actually where I worked at the time. I actually started singing again when I worked there because everybody I worked with went to this place called Dolly’s. It’s like a little ho-down karaoke place where it’s really dark and dingy, but they have the best music. I would religiously go almost every single Saturday for two years and sing karaoke. It was like the only place where I’d be heard. People were so drunk and completely out of their minds, but they thought I sounded good. (laughs) And then, as Camden said, I met up with him, and I was like, “I can sing!” And of course, he was all, “Uh huh, yeah, I’m sure you can.” (laughs) I guess I’ve always been a little edgy, a little country rocker. I just pretty much like every kind and style of music, but I’ve always had my favorite. It has nothing to do with metal. But it’s what makes me sound the way I sound. (laughs)

Sara:  But you do listen to metal, right?

Sabrina:  Yes.

Sara:  Which bands do you like?

Sabrina:  I like Blind Guardian. I like Iced Earth. My new favorite since ProgPower is Nocturnal Rites. And sometimes it’s just certain songs by certain bands. I do like some of the female bands, but I can’t say that one of them sticks out for me. I like “Amaranthe” and “Wish I Had An Angel” by Nightwish. But there’s not any one band that sticks out except male-fronted bands. I like Nocturnal Rites strictly for their live versions. Their lead singer [Jonny Lindqvist] is extremely hyper. (laughs) And of course, Hansi [Kürsch, singer of Blind Guardian] is knowledgeable and very good at what he does. I just like music. I can’t pinpoint anybody. I love Alison Krauss, Enya, Celine Dion, other ones that aren’t metal. (laughs) My perfect band would be a metal band much like Blind Guardian with Josh Groban as the singer.

Sara:  (laughs)

Sabrina:  I think that would be quite awesome. (laughs)

Sara:  That would be awesome! I like Josh, too. He’s a great singer.

Sabrina:  Pretty much anybody who can sing and a band that can play something great would be my favorite band. (laughs) I’m just a fan of music, I guess.

Sara:  I was going to ask you guys about the next album, but we’ve already talked about that quite a bit. You’ve already working on songs, and you know how different it might be. Would you like to add any more comments on the next album? Anything else that you want people to know right now?

Sabrina:  That we’re going to work our hardest to present them with an even better Seven Kingdoms sound. We hope we can reel them in and make them really love us.

Camden:  Yeah. But don’t download it. Buy it, and then we’ll come and play it for you. (laughs)

Sabrina:  Yeah! We’ve had so many people ask us to come to Europe or Australia. Someone even sent us an email from Japan, and they were like, “Come see us!” But if fans never purchase our stuff, we’ll never get there.

Sara:  Yeah.

Camden:  I think everyone’s downloaded stuff once or twice, maybe a hundred times. They get the [album] leak and download it two weeks before it comes out. But I always make sure I buy stuff. That’s how bands get the right support. If I go to a show, I buy stuff from the local band because that’s how they make money.

Sara:  In terms of playing live this year, you’ve got a show coming up in St. Petersburg on March 12th. What other near-future or long-term touring plans do you have? Or is there anything you want to… Well, maybe not hint at it, because you probably can’t say a whole lot about it at the moment.

Camden:  (laughs) Well, yeah. We’ve got some offers coming up for April, but that’s not confirmed yet. We’ve got some stuff that’s being worked on for July. But nothing’s been confirmed. The person in charge of accounting is throwing his hands up. (laughs) And we’ve got stuff coming up at the end of the year, and I hope to God it works out. It’s going to be a huge thing for us to do before we try to go and record another record.

Sara:  Oooooooooooooh. This sounds good.

Camden:  Yeah. And the fans of Seven Kingdom are going to be like, “WHAT?!” (laughs) It’s nothing crazy or huge, but… It’s just sick.

Sara:  It’s exciting for you guys.

Camden:  Oh, yeah!

Sabrina:  Yeah!

Camden:  Very exciting. I’ll be so happy if it does. It’s going to make the release of the next record much, much bigger. So we’ll see what happens. Maybe we’ll get to talk to you again when it happens. (laughs)

Sara:  And how about festivals? There are some different metal festivals, female-fronted metal ones and regular metal ones. I know of one particular festival that a lot of people seem to be saying, “Let’s get Seven Kingdoms on it!” And that’s Flight of the Valkyries [in Baltimore, Maryland].

Sabrina:  Yeah. We’d like that a lot.

Sara:  Would that be cool to play there?

Sabrina:  Yeah!

Camden:  Yeah. There are three shows where I want us to play. It’s like a goal for the next few years. And I think I can make it happen. The first one is ProgPower. I have a dream of Seven Kingdoms being a headliner at ProgPower. And that way, Glenn [Harveston], the organizer, he’ll put a Seven Kingdoms logo on the wall in his office. (laughs) But really, I’d love to get on ProgPower somehow after we do our next record. I think we’ll be holding our own against a lot of those bands. Probably not headline, obviously, but just play on the main night. It would be a huge dream come true. Ever since I’ve been in a band, or ever since I’ve become an artist, I’ve always wanted it, and I still want to be on that show. It hasn’t happened because we’re not elite yet. (laughs) You have to pay your dues and hopefully grow onstage. Glenn came up to us when we played at the Masquerade in Atlanta [with Blind Guardian]. He said, “Wow, that’s a completely different band than we saw at ProgPower!” So hopefully by the time we actually play at ProgPower, we’ll be a different band than he saw. In a good way. He was shocked. He was like, “Wow! I can’t believe you guys have grown so much!” So that was ultra flattering. And I hope one day to play on that stage because you get to meet so many great people. That’s like THE premier festival for this kind of music over here.

Sara:  Yeah.

Camden:  I don’t know how Glenn does that every year. I just… I don’t know.

Sara:  (laughs) So ProgPower, and what other two festivals?

Camden:  Next would be Flight of the Valkyries. Just ‘cause it’s over here, and it seems to have a good team behind it. But mostly because it’s affordable ‘cause it’s here in the States. (laughs) The other one is Metal Female Voices Fest. I don’t know where it is. The name escapes me, but I know it’s overseas.

Sara: I believe it’s in Belgium. Metal Female Voices Festival is in Belgium.

Camden:  Isn’t it in Brussels or something?

Sara:  I don’t remember where in Belgium, but I know it’s in Belgium.
*Editors note: The MFVF is held in Wieze Belgium and will be hosting the 9th edition in 2011*

Camden:  We’d love to go over there. It’s just the airfare and stuff. If we were offered a slot on that, I’d probably take it just because. I’d probably suck it up and just get ourselves over there. (laughs) That’s the place where Tarja and Doro played one year. I think that would be a really good show for us.

Sara:  All right. I have one more question for you two. It’s kind of a random one. But since you live down in Florida, not too far from Orlando, I have to ask this. Which park is better: Disney World, or Universal Studios?

Sabrina & Camden: Universal! (Sabrina laughs)

Camden:  Disney’s a joke.

Sara:  (laughs)

Camden:  You just stare at Mickey Mouse and pay $9 for a Diet Coke. You go ride a rollercoaster and still pay $9 for a Diet Coke. Sort of like paying an arm and a leg for a beer. Or, God forbid, a mixed drink.

Sabrina:  I think what used to be the younger generation is embracing Universal. I mean, to be totally honest, Disney is for little kids. Most of them can’t ride rollercoasters.

Camden:  Have you ever been to Universal Orlando?

Sara:  I have. Although… When was the last time I was down there? Maybe five or six years ago?

Camden:  Well, I don’t know if you’ve seen it, but they’ve got this place called CityWalk.

Sara:  Oh, yeah! I’ve been there when they had CityWalk. So I’ve seen that.

Camden:  Well, now it’s like full-fledged awesomeness. They have a Jimmy Buffetville and Emeril’s Café. The entire complex has turned into CityWalk, Universal, and Islands of Adventure. And Hard Rock Live is right in the middle of all that. And then there’s three gigantic hotels. It’s just an awesome freakin’ place. Like a little city, really. It’s pretty much the namesake of Orlando. (laughs)

Sara:  Well, that’s about it on my end. Thanks again for your time, guys. Is there anything you’d like to say to your fans and to the readers at Sonic Cathedral?

Sabrina:  Thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!

Camden:  Yeah. Thank you for giving us the time of day. We hope you guys will keep spreading the word, making sure that everybody’s pumped for the new record, and more good things to come from our side.

Thanks again to Camden and Sabrina for their time and the many laughs. We at Sonic Cathedral can’t wait to hear the new music and wish Seven Kingdoms the best of luck with all their future plans! Also, many thanks to Claus Jensen at Intromental Management for arranging the interview. All live photos were taken by Sonic Cathedral at Seven Kingdoms’ CD release party in 2010 and CANNOT be used without written permission.

Seven Kingdoms’ self-titled album is currently available at the Nightmare Records Website & the Sonic Cathedral Store.

Check out Seven Kingdoms at the following sites:

Official Website
Facebook
MySpace

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